CHAIRMAN OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF SLOVAKIA AND TURKISH AMBASSADOR AGREE TO
START LOBBYIST ACTIVITY AIMED TO IMPROVEMENT OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 21 2007

BRATISLAVA, MARCH 21, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Ashot Grigorian,
the Chairman of the Armenian Organizations’ Representation in Europe,
Armenian community of Slovakia met on March 29 with Tunc Ugdul,
the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
Turkey to Slovakia.

As A. Grigorian informed Noyan Tapan. he addressed to the Embassy
with the issue to define the way to leave for Turkey to participate in
opening of the Aghtamar Surb Khach (Saint Cross) Church: as Grigorian
prepares to leave for Van with an Armenian delegation, he addressed
to the Turkish Ambassador for the latter negotiates with the Foreign
Ministry of Turkey for temporarily opening the Margara or Gyumri-Kars
customs point. The Turkish Ambassador assured that he will do his
best to define which customs point will be opened during those days in
front of the Armenian delegation. Owing to it, in Grigorian’s words,
the road will become few hundreds of kilometres shorter.

The Armenian-Turkish relations were touched upon during the meeting.

Ambassador Egdul stated that the Armenian-Turkish relations "must
be turned from the loss-loss principle into the benefit-benefit
principle. That’s, those voluminous works that the Armenian lobbyist
structures do and those huge expenses that Turkey incurs against the
genocide recognition, can surely be used for helping one another. It
was bilaterally mentioned that the most important thing for improvement
of the Armenian-Turkish relations is to find joint edges in the issue
of the Armenian Genocide recognition. T. Ugdul stated that he is
against them who state in Turkey that "as the Armenian massacres do
not bear resemblance with the Jewish Holocaust committed by Germans
and that’s why it may not be called a genocide." In the Ambassador’s
words, the fact of deportation itself strengthens the committed
crime and one must not ignore it and the argument on the genocide
must surely be finished with finding a term satisfying both sides,
even if that term is the "genocide" word. In response, A.

Grigorian attached importance to the fact that let the term be
"genocide" or "holocaust" it does not change the reality as the
consequences arisen from that term are the important one. "We demand
the "genocide" term as the genocide brings compensation with it,
according to the internationally accepted terminology. It is a very
important task for us to come to a common denominator in the issue of
compensation," A. Grigorian said. He mentioned that Turkey must surely
conciliate with some losses and it must itself be able to decide the
size of it with Armenia. "If Turkey allows that great states do it,
that variant will be the most unfavourable one for it, especially if
we take into consideration that foundation of Kurdistan is inevitable
today. And it depends on today’s diplomatic flexibility of Turkey on
what lands Kurdistan will be founded, what lands Turkey will lose."

In A. Grigorian’s words, the Turkish Ambassador was interested in
the expressed opinion and the sides expressed a wish to start a
lobbyist activity in Bratislava, each of them with his government,
for diplomatic relations are established between Armenia and Turkey
as soon as possible and the sides come to a common denominator in
the issue of genocide and liquidation of its consequences.

The Ambassador mentioned that the Turkish-Azerbaijani relations and
the Nagorno Karabakh issue also have an important place in the issue
of improvement of relations. A. Grigorian expressed an opinion that
Turkey, being a nearest friend of Azerbaijan, can not ignore the
Azerbaijani position, but it must be able to find a way in the issue,
what Azerbaijan must also do. In Grigorian’s words, the latter can
improve the relations with Armenia in two ways: with a small loss,
or big one. The small loss is that Azerbaijan quickly agree with the
fact of independence of Artsakh and gets back a part of the "occupied"
territories. "In my opinion, the sooner Azerbaijan agrees with this
variant the better it will be for it, as during the time power shift
may take place in Armenia, and the new authorities will refuse to give
Azerbaijan in a peaceful way the territories taken by blood during
the war what will bring to catastrophic consequences for Azerbaijan
and the whole region. Today’s moods are much more beneficial for
Azerbaijan," he emphasized. A. Grigorian also stressed that there is
not a diplomate in the world who will have a doubt that Karabakh can
not ever appear in the structure of Azerbaijan.

Then the Turkish Ambassador said that though he was aware that owing
to Grigorian’s lobbying, the resolution on the Armenian Genocide was
adopted at the Parliament of Slovakia and a memorial khachkar (cross
stone) was placed in Bratislava but he expressed an opinion that it
is not the best way to come to a common denominator with Turkey in
the issue of the genocide. He stated that the memorial dedicated to
the Armenian Genocide which is placed in the center of Bratislava
causes great pain to Turks, on the occasion of what A. Grigorian
expressed perplexity. In response the Ambassador said: "Imagine,
if Armenia has a problem with any country and that country place
in Europe a monument which arises bad memories among us." Grigorian
asked to observe the memorial as an art memorial which was placed as
a sign of gratitute on the occasion of adoption of the resolution on
the Armenian Genocide at the Parliament of Slovakia. And if Armenians
and Turks reach agreement in the genocide issue, it will be only a
good memory and a cultural memorial.

An agreement was reached to meet after Grigorian’s visit to Van and
continue the issue of discussing the next stages of the cooperation.

The Ambassador mentioned that he appreciates the Armenians’ cultural
contribution in Turkey. He said that every Turk intellectual knows
that the author of big architectural structures of Istanbul is the
Balian family. Besides, Armenians have had a great contribution in the
Turkish diplomacy, gave foreign ministers, parliamentarians to Turkey,
and the Armenian-Turkish relations must be based on the historic
friendship. "This must be the future of our neighborhood amd road of
our two countries towards the European Union," the Ambassador said
and finishing the meeting with the head of the Armenian community of
Slovakia, said: "We must compete who will earlier be in the European
Union structure and help one another in the issue of appearing there."